Influential music manager and investor Scooter Braun recently sat down with Variety to discuss a myriad of topics giving readers insight into his career.
Braun has risen to prominence over the last 12 years managing performers such as Justin Bieber, Kanye West, and Ariana Grande. He explained that at one point in his career, he was witnessing others in his position struggle and ultimately lose their relationships with clients. “I watched this other manager get fired, and I saw him defend himself instantly and put out a lot of truths. And I watched the artist see those truths, not want to deal with it, and then forever hate that manager,” he said.
He went on to explain that a similar situation almost ensued when he was fired for the first time, by non-other than Ariana Grande. “And with Ariana, I could have said a lot of stuff, and in fact my team wanted me to, because they were pissed," he shared. "But I said ‘We’re not gonna say a word, and this is gonna come back around.’ They were like, ‘Never take her back!,’ but I just said, ‘Let’s stay quiet and let our truth be our actions.'” Braun and Grande eventually mended both their personal and professional relationship. “And when s—ty boyfriends leave (laughter), she starts to see the light on some stuff, and one day I got a phone call... that relationship we had, from being fired to getting back together, really gave us the strength for what we never imagined would come that following year,” Braun explained, alluding to the terrorist attack occurred during one of Ariana's Manchester performances.
Read more of Scooter's interview here.